Comments

Hi Peter
Thank you for your prompt response
please tell me the difference between the following:
1. I am looking forward to working with you
2. I am looking forward to be working with you
Thanks & regards

'Look forward to' is followed by a gerund (ing-form) or a noun, not a verb, because the 'to' in the phrase is a preposition, not part of an infinitive. Therefore the first sentence is correct, the second is not.

The correct form would be 'We are eagerly anticipating working with you'. You might also say (and this would be the most common way of saying this) 'We are looking forward to working with you'.

For information on the gerund (the -ing form used as a noun) please see this page. We make continuous verb forms with be + -ing, though this is not the gerund. You can find more information on continuous forms here.

Both of the first two sentences are correct, though I'd say you're more likely to hear the first one than the second. Ellipsis (omitting words) has many different forms, but as is the case here, often the to in a to infinitive can be left out in cases such as this one where it is clear that it is meant.

In the second two sentences, only sentence 2 is correct. Just as you used an infinitive (to stimulate) to indicate purpose, you should also use to keep to indicate purpose, though, as in your previous set of sentences, the to before keep can be omitted through ellipsis (though it can also be written with to, as I explained above).

I hope this helps. If have any further questions, please don't hesistate to ask.